UCLA sophomore guards Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo both declared for the NBA draft yesterday, but wisely, neither player will hire an agent, making them eligible to return to school for their junior seasons.
UCLA coach Ben Howland said he talked to 17 or 18 NBA general managers, who projected Afflalo and Farmar would be selected late in the first round or early in the second round of the June 28 draft.
“Whether they both go this year or come out at the end of next year, they’re both going to be in the NBA. That’s a given,” Howland said at a campus news conference. “I am totally 100 percent behind them, as is our whole UCLA basketball family in their decision to test the waters.”
Like Farmar, Afflalo said he would return to school if he wasn’t assured of being a first-round pick.
Although both players performed well in the NCAA tournament, neither player is a lock to be a first round pick. There are questions about Farmar’s quickness and his inconsistent three point shooting, while Afflalo showed an inability to score against athletic off guards, who he’ll be facing on a nightly basis at the next level. Afflalo is the better defender, and was often matched up with the best perimeter scorer on the other team.
I think we’ll see both guys return to school, but a couple great individual workouts could be the difference between the late first round and the early second.
